Real Madrid academy product César Palacios will return to Spain for further evaluation after tearing his ACL during the club’s preseason U.S. tour, sources told ESPN.
The 19-year-old midfielder suffered the injury five minutes into his first-team debut Wednesday night at Chicago’s Soldier Field, a 1-0 defeat to AC Milan.
Subsequent tests confirmed the severity of Palacio’s injury, prompting the club’s medical staff to put Palacios on a plane back to Madrid to prepare for surgery as soon as possible.